22 June 2012, Brussels The European Automobile Manufacturer’s Association (ACEA) has awarded its annual College of Europe thesis award to Isabel Mancuso, an International Relations and Diplomacy Master’s Degree candidate. Ms Mancuso’s thesis, entitled “Europa and the Dragon: the EU’s toolbox for providing access to Chinese markets”, was deemed to be the best College of Europe thesis on the subject of competitiveness.

Ms Mancuso's thesis reflects the firm conviction that the EU needs to have a robust trade policy and a sustainable approach to industry and employment. It argues that the EU must “use multilateral and bilateral, as well as both formal and informal, instruments” in order to “eliminate trade barriers inChinaand to guarantee market access for European companies”.

Ms Mancuso's work is topical in the context of the recent CARS21 Report on the Competitiveness and Sustainable Growth of the Automotive Industry in the EU, which focuses on improving the competitiveness of the auto industry in a global perspective. Mancuso concluded that the EU must be "assertive and rigorous" in its trading relations with China and argues that that "a more common, integrated stance vis-à-visChinais necessary. Member States must set aside their different positions and must realise that they have much more weight if they combine their strengths".

The ACEA Annual Competitiveness Award, now in its seventh year, awards a College of Europe student for a thesis that shows academic excellence and investigates a dimension of EU regulation and industry competitiveness without necessarily being automotive-industry specific.

Ivan Hodac, ACEA Secretary General, applauded the work saying “this thesis demonstrates a clear understanding of the major issues at stake in EU trade policy, particularly in its appraisal that bi-lateral relations are only one of many possible tools for conducting trade negotiations”. The cooperation between ACEA and the College of Europe is rooted in the mutual conviction that close understanding is essential between industry, business, academia and the EU institutions, many of which recruit from the College of Europe.

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The European automotive industry is key to the strength and competitiveness of Europe.